Graduate Research Assistant; GA

Position: Graduate Research Assistant (0000GA11)
Description

Title:

Graduate Research Assistant

Position Number: 0000GA11

Hiring Unit:
College of Social Sciences - Department of Economics

Location:

Manoa Campus

Date Posted:
June 17, 2026

Closing Date:
Continuous recruitment until position filled

Salary Information:

Step 15 ($29,148 annually, MA Program);
Step 17 ($31,524 annually, PhD program) at 50% FTE

Monthly Type: 11-month

Full Time/Part Time:
Part-Time - Full time equivalency 50%

Temporary/Permanent:
Temporary

Graduate Research Assistant

This research project investigates how recent technological and regulatory advancements in the financial sector impact financial inclusion and household welfare. Specifically, it explores three major global innovations: open banking frameworks, Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), and regulations surrounding stable coins and tokenized deposits.

The GA will directly contribute to the theoretical setup, quantitative analysis, and the formulation of the final policy recommendations. Furthermore, the GA will be actively involved in writing and knowledge mobilization, assisting with drafting sections of major extramural grant proposals (such as to the NSF or SSHRC) and potentially developing independent or co-authored research papers under the PI's supervision.

Other conditions:

Appointment to begin Summer 2026. The initial appointment is scheduled to run until Spring 2027. Continuation is contingent upon project needs, satisfactory work performance, academic progress, and availability of funds.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The GA will share responsibilities with the PI and coauthor across the lifespan of the project,specifically undertaking the following duties:

* Literature and Institutional Review:
Conduct structured, comprehensive reviews of existing literature regarding financial inclusion, open banking, CBDCs, and tokenized deposits, as well as map the specific institutional and regulatory features in US, Canada,and internationally.

* Data Collection and Management:
Assemble, clean, and manage large-scale, bank-leveldatasets and empirical financial inclusion statistics for the US and Canada.

* Computational Modeling and Programming:
Assist in designing and refining numerical solution methods and simulation algorithms, using advanced programming languages such as MATLAB, Python, or Julia.

* Calibration and Policy Simulation:
Support the calibration of the macroeconomic modelusing empirical targets and implement the various policy experiments.

* Data Visualization and Dissemination:
Generate high-quality figures, tables, and quantitative outputs for use in academic presentations, journal publications, and policynotes.

* Grant Proposal Development:
Assist in assembling preliminary data, analyzing early results, and drafting the narrative sections for subsequent multi-year extramural grantapplications.

* Other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

* Classified, full-time (minimum 6 credits) graduate student in good academic standing (GPA of 3.0 or above) at the University of Hawai?i tificate and non-degreestudents are not eligible.

* Must be an enrolled graduate student with a foundational background inmacroeconomics or monetary theory

* Demonstrated analytical skills and the ability to conduct structured, independentacademic literature reviews

* Basic proficiency in at least one relevant programming language required formacroeconomics or monetary modeling, specifically MATLAB, Python, or Julia

* Experience with empirical data collection, data cleaning, and basic data management techniques

* Strong written and verbal communication skills required to assist in drafting researchnarratives and participating in academic/policy discussions.

Desirable

Qualifications:

* Advanced programming skills and prior experience coding numerical solution algorithmsor running simulations for macroeconomic or monetary models

* Familiarity with Burdett and Judd (1983)-type search models, liquidity frictions, ordynamic general-equilibrium frameworks

* Prior research experience working directly with bank-level financial data, balance-sheetratios, or demographic financial inclusion statistics

* Existing knowledge of the literature surrounding digital finance, specifically Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), cryptocurrency ecosystems, or open bankingframeworks

* Experience in grant writing or co-authoring academic proposals

* A demonstrated ability to synthesize complex quantitative economic research intoaccessible policy briefs or presentations for non-academic government audiences

To Apply:

Submit the following materials to Dr. Liang Wang, Associate Professor and Graduate Chair, Department of Economics:

* Cover letter explaining how you satisfy the minimum and desirable qualifications,

* curriculum vita or resume,

* names and contact information (including email addresses) of 2 professional references, and

* official transcripts (copies are acceptable; however, official transcripts are required prior to hiring).

For security reasons, do not send applications via email.…